Author Archives

Elizabeth Pelayo is the library media specialist at St. Charles East High School in St. Charles Illinois. She currently writes book reviews for School Library Journal. She is a member of the AASL AAUP Book Selection Committee. Also, she is a member of the nominations committee for the ISLMA Abraham Lincoln Book Award.

• Curation and Collaboration Time at #AASL19

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 11/08/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  For the past three years it has been my pleasure to be a part of the AASL American University Presses Book Selection Committee. This year I will not be able to attend the 2019 AASL National Conference, but a few… Read More ›

• Frightening Fiction Book Challenge

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 10/14/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  October is here and our minds turn to Halloween and spooky book choices. Tales of horror, the supernatural, and mysterious happenings are among the most wanted for readers in the fall months. To promote a love of reading and increase… Read More ›

• Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: 5 Tips to Stay Sane during School Start

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 09/16/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  When the school year begins all the planning and preparations we did over the summer come together. Our energy is high and we feel refreshed as the doors open and we meet our students the first week of school. As… Read More ›

• Transforming Your Island into a Peninsula

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 08/15/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As each new school year approaches we are all thinking about what we want to change and improve on and setting new goals for ourselves. For many years I have heard the ideology that our school library positions are an… Read More ›

• 5 Tips to Organize Your Summer Reading

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 07/16/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As we close down our school libraries and think ahead to the next school year, all of us are thinking about our summer reading list. What will we bring home to read? What should we read first? How can we… Read More ›

• Adventures in 3D Printing

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 06/07/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As the makerspace craze continues to sweep across libraries nationwide, school libraries are trying to come up with ways to engage students in meaningful makerspace work. This year the majority of my time at the close of the semester has… Read More ›

• A Prime Location for Circulation: Book Displays

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 05/09/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  When students enter through the front library doors the first thing they encounter is our study hall desk and a book display podium. This book display is strategically placed here to entice students into grabbing a new novel, but I… Read More ›

• Open Door vs. Out The Door Policy

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 04/08/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  The best administrators are those who welcome conversations and new ideas, collaborations, and support. Many school administrators accomplish this lofty goal by instituting an “open door” policy where teachers and students can feel free to come in if the door… Read More ›

• History Club-Curated Film Archive

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 03/15/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  An archive is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved.” The school library is a key space for archived materials in any school. We preserve yearbooks from years past,… Read More ›

• Personalized Book Talks with YouTube

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 02/11/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  In an educational climate where English teachers are feeling overwhelmed by the mounting expectations from state and district administration, reading for enjoyment can be one of the first things to get the curriculum ax. Research time and again has shown… Read More ›